"Hey! Keep moving! Stay in line!"
"Ugh... how did it come to this?"
"I can't take this anymore! Someone help me! Mom!"
"...It looks like this is the end for that lot," Raiha murmured.
"True," another replied. "But considering how much noise they made and how much of a rampage they went on, I'm sure they're satisfied with themselves."
"Hmph. Maybe so, but they certainly put us through a lot of trouble."
Early the following morning, the Wind Island Security Force arrived on the scene. The detained members of Blue Ever were formally placed under arrest and began their transfer to the local lockup.
Every single one of them was utterly spent, whimpering and sobbing even as the guards secured them. It was little wonder—they had spent the entire night under Ryuga’s glowering, disgruntled watch.
The slightest twitch had drawn a sharp spike of killing intent from the swordsman. Terrified and desperate to avoid his ire, the cultists hadn't slept a wink, enduring the long night without a single second of rest.
Consequently, the physically and mentally drained Blue Ever members offered no resistance as they were led away. Even if these were only low-ranking members, seeing so many of their rank and file injured, demoralized, and hauled off in chains would deal a massive blow to the organization.
Once their actions on Shandia hit the news, the public wouldn't stay silent. The group that had run wild on the island seemed to have finally faced reality; even if they were released soon, they likely wouldn't dream of repeating such a stunt.
"Blue Ever will likely collapse in the near future," Raiha said. "Until then, let us pray that such a tragedy is never repeated."
The others listening to her nodded in agreement.
The island had suffered damage—collapsed houses and scorched trees—but by some stroke of luck, no lives had been lost among the islanders or the monsters.
Strongly believing that the people of this island would rebuild quickly if they joined forces, the group watched the procession of prisoners. Meanwhile, Yugo was speaking with the officer in charge of the Security Force, explaining the situation and the mysterious Clear Plates.
"I see. So these are the objects that transform people into Magic Armor Beasts..."
"Yeah," Yugo replied. "I looked them over and tried to destroy them, but I couldn't even leave a scratch, no matter what I tried."
Yugo's expression darkened as he stared at the plates he had just handed over, which were engraved with what appeared to be the letters R and F. The one-eyed Security Captain matched his grim look.
"This will require a thorough investigation. We need to uncover the mechanism behind their indestructibility as well."
"Please. This is as far as we can go, so we're counting on the Security Force to take it from here."
"Leave it to us. These are dangerous items, but I intend to do my utmost to live up to the trust of those who fought so bravely."
The Security Captain gave a sharp, formal salute. Judging by his serious and steady demeanor, Yugo felt the man was someone he could trust.
"Still," the captain continued, "to take down an unknown Magic Armor Beast amidst all this chaos... you're quite a promising lot. If I could, I'd scout you for our unit on the spot."
"Thank you. But I wasn't the only one who took down a Magic Armor Beast. It was also him, talking over there—"
Yugo pointed toward Marcos, the man who had defeated the second beast.
Marcos stood a short distance away, talking with Elena, Carlos, and Porulu—who looked a bit smaller now that he had finished molting.
"You've been a great help to us," Carlos said. "You protected my daughter. You have my thanks."
"It was nothing," Marcos demurred. "More importantly, the real work starts now. Will the island's recovery be alright?"
"We'll be okay!" Elena insisted. "Nobody has any serious injuries, and we'll fix everything up bit by bit. As long as the family works together, there's nothing we can't do!"
"Kani-kani!"
"Hmph... I suppose so. If we join forces, nothing is impossible."
Though no lives had been lost, the damage to the island was significant. Reconstruction would take time, but looking at the Idrima parent and child already helping the villagers repair houses, Marcos found himself agreeing with Elena's optimism.
"You've all been very kind," Marcos said. "We have to return to the main island for now, but we'll try to come back and visit before the school trip is over."
"Yeah, okay. We're the ones who owe you! Thank you so much, Marcos!"
"Kani!"
It was a reluctant parting, but they had to return to Wind Island to report to Uno and the others. As they exchanged their farewells, Carlos cleared his throat.
"By the way... Marcos, how did you find it?"
"...Find what? My apologies, but what are you referring to?"
"I mean the prize! I gave you that proof as a reward for the weightlifting game, remember? And I'm fairly certain I told you to show it to Elena."
"Ah...!? Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Marcos blinked in confusion, but Elena’s face went pale. She clasped her hands together in a frantic apology.
"I'm so sorry! Everything was so chaotic that I completely forgot to show it to him!"
"What...!? Elena, you really are something else...!"
Carlos let out a long, weary sigh and clutched his head. When he finally looked up, he turned back to Marcos.
"Well, fine. It might actually have worked out for the best. Marcos, do you still have a bit of time before you depart?"
"Yes, I suppose so..."
"In that case, come with me for a moment. I've got something good to show you."
With that, Carlos began walking toward his workshop. Marcos hurriedly followed him inside the building he had first visited just yesterday.